Greenland: A perfect winter wonderland
by Linda Hourston
Few would imagine a country such as Greenland to be a popular holiday destination. Sure, its climate is icy (at best) and its terrain is dramatic, but for the true adventurers among us, Greenland presents the most amazing cultural, historic and natural attractions imaginable.
Spanning over two million square kilometers, Greenland is not only the world's largest island, it's also the largest independent territory and is home to the world's largest national park (Northeast Greenland National Park). Its coastlines, which are dominated by spectacular fjords, icebergs and jagged mountains, along with the country's fertile inland regions, offer the very best sightseeing, ice-fishing, hiking, cross country racing, skiing, kayaking, dog sledding and hunting opportunities.
In fact, hunting has long been, and remains an integral part of Greenland's Inuit culture and tradition. Henriette Rasmussen (a minister in the Greenland Home Rule Government) recently stated, "The Inuit culture is the most pure hunting culture in existence. Having adapted to the extreme living conditions in the High Arctic of the North American continent for at least four thousand years, Inuit are not even hunter-gatherers. Inuit are hunters, pure and simple."
So, why should you visit Greenland? The following are just a few great reasons:
- Dog Sledding – Inuit tribes have used the dogsled for transport, hunting and fishing for thousands of years. Today, the sleds are still widely used in the northern and eastern areas (the dogsled districts) and represent a true taste of Inuit tradition and culture. It can be a noisy experience though – although the dogs are extremely well trained, loyal beyond belief and very friendly, they're also very excitable. They're magnificent dogs and really do love working and speeding over the icy terrain. Everyone should don warm seal and reindeer skins and experience dog sledding while in Greenland and while most will experience dog sledding as a passenger, if you have a few days to spare, you can train for your own dogsled license – which may come in handy given Greenland hosts dozens of dog sledding shows and competitions annually.
- Hiking – for those who love the great outdoors, Greenland's magnificent (and largely untouched) inland environments offer the most extreme hiking and trekking adventures possible. Organized short, day or week-long hikes are popular (and recommended for the novice) and will take you exploring traditional mountain villages, ice-filled fjords and heritage-listed national parks. Tours also give you the opportunity to learn about Greenland's fabulous flora, which includes Alpine gentians, arctic poppies, speedwells and saxifrages, and native fauna such as Arctic foxes, lemmings, musk oxen, reindeers, wolves and even polar bears. For the active, organized hikes and treks also present many excellent fishing, kayaking, skiing, climbing, sledding and nature watching opportunities. The country's natural beauty is not easily forgotten and after seeing and experiencing its treasures for yourself, odds are you'll find it hard to leave. Tip – if you do decide to explore these regions on your own, please make sure you let someone know of your intentions and route (preferably the local tour offices). The terrain can be quite unforgiving to those not familiar with the conditions, so take care and don't forget the thermals.
- Coastline Cruises – again, there's many organized short, day or week-long tours available and it doesn't matter which one you choose, they're all fantastic. Many tours start from the country's scenic fjords and will take you sailing in crystal clear waters past monolithic icebergs and jagged rocky mountains and along the way, you're sure to see seals, walruses and polar bears as well as large whale populations that includes minkes, humpbacks, fins, sperms, belugas, pilots and narwhals. You'll also see many surprisingly colorful migratory and native birds along your way such as puffins and skuas.
- The Aurora Borealis (the Northern Lights) – this fascinating natural phenomenon (caused by the sun's electrically charged molecules colliding with various atoms and particles in the Earth's atmosphere) is best viewed from Greenland. This magical glowing and rippling light display actually occurs all year round but because of the summer season's Midnight Sun, viewing is best from August to April. These lights never fail to enthrall and delight and local superstition has it the lights appear when the dead are playing football (with a walrus skull of all things) and that children will be blessed and extremely intelligent if born in the vivid green glow of the lights.
- Nuuk is Greenland's capital city and even though it's the world's smallest capital, it offers not only fantastic accommodation (you can even stay in igloo hotel if you want), fine dining and excellent tourist facilities, it's also a great base camp and is home to some of the country's most popular attractions such as:
Everyone knows Santa lives here – a visit to Santa's House and his very special post box (the world's largest) is sure to be a hit with the kids.
As one of the first museums established in Greenland, the Greenland National Museum is dedicated to the preservation of the country's cultural heritage and houses rich and exotic displays of local archaeological artifacts, historic records, photographs, local art and handicrafts. Displays include the Inuit Archaeological, Norse, Gustav Holm and the Polar Eskimo collections and exhibitions include Encounters (traces Inuit culture from as far back as 2,500BC), the Qilakitsoq Mummies (perfectly preserved bodies of six women and two children who are thought to have died over five hundred years ago) and Man and Animal (displays traditional clothing, textiles and weaponry).
Katuag Cultural Center's aim is to present Greenland's tradition and culture via art, music, theater and sculpture. The center's 508-seat concert hall regularly presents plays, dances, gala shows and films – in fact, in 2001, over 59,000 filmgoers visited this hall making it one of Nuuk's most popular attractions. The center's theater showcases grand artistic productions and holds regular exhibitions of local art, craft and sculpture and after you've visited the concert hall and theater, make sure you visit the 450 seat café to enjoy the best coffees in town along with hot and cold dishes and a fabulous selection of cakes and pastries. This is a wonderful attraction sure to keep the whole family busy for hours.
As you can imagine, the harsh and extreme climate and geological features of Greenland isn't appealing to everyone, but for those brave and adventurous enough to visit, they're rewarded with genuine, warm hospitality (just don't call the locals Eskimos – they don't like it – they're Inuit), stunning sea and landscapes, amazing natural phenomena, endless days during the summer and endless nights during the winter, fantastic flora and fauna as well as sporting and nature-watching opportunities galore. So go for it, try something different – you'll love it.
Further information about Greenland can be found at:
www.mapsofworld.com/greenland/travel-guide/index.html
www.essortment.com/travel/greenlandtravel_sbsr.htm